SAN MATEO / 200 attend council meeting on future of Bay Meadows track / City must decide whether to close it

Leslie Fulbright, Chronicle Staff Writer

Published 4:00 am, Tuesday, September 20, 2005

A plan to tear down the Bay Meadows racetrack in San Mateo and build more than a thousand homes received about as much opposition as it did support from residents at a meeting Monday night.

About 200 people attended a San Mateo City Council meeting Monday night, and dozens weighed in on the development proposal, which would bring an end to live horse racing in the county.

The owners of Bay Meadows want to replace the 71-year-old track, which sits on 83 acres, with 1,250 homes, 1.25 million square feet of offices, 15 acres of parkland and 150,000 square feet of stores and restaurants.

Supporters say the plan would provide better access to Caltrain and Highway 101, generate revenue for the city and provide open space in the park.

"The project is transit-oriented and will help stop (development) in our hills," said Rich Hedges, a member of San Mateo Together, a group supporting the project. Hedges said he has collected 10,000 signatures from San Mateo residents supporting the plan.

Some opponents, however, say the racetrack is historic -- Seabiscuit and Citation raced there -- and should be preserved. Other opponents say that they fear the housing plan would cause congestion and school overcrowding, and that if the racetrack must go, the land should be better used.

"There will be significantly increased gridlock and traffic," said resident Christine McCoy. "The people of San Mateo deserve more."

McCoy and other opponents said they would rather see the land used for recreational purposes.

The owners of the racetrack, which opened in 1934, submitted their first redevelopment plan in 2003 but revised it this year to assure it was consistent with the city's Rail Corridor Plan, a document that identifies public transportation goals for the area near the Caltrain tracks. That plan was adopted by the council in June.

Save Bay Meadows, a group that has long opposed the redevelopment plan, has said it would launch a referendum drive if the council votes to remove the racetrack, arguing that it is an asset to the community and that the redevelopment would change the character of the city.

Opponents would have 30 days after approval to gather the signatures needed to get a referendum on the ballot next year.

If the plan is not approved, the owner may choose to keep the racetrack open or submit a new plan. A company spokesman has said the track doesn't have a future because other forms of gambling are not allowed.

In 1996, San Mateo voters rejected a proposal for a cardroom at Bay Meadows. And last year, California voters rejected an initiative that would have allowed 3,000 slot machines at the site.

Though opponents of the redevelopment have argued that the track is historic, a consultant determined that the historical integrity of Bay Meadows' structures has been lost and reported it is not eligible for listing on the State Register of Historic Places.